


oh but we're just friends

by fated_addiction



Category: GOT7, K-pop, KARA (Band), Korean Actor RPF, 룸메이트 | Roommate (TV)
Genre: F/M, RPF, Romance, can't stop won't stop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-03
Updated: 2015-03-03
Packaged: 2018-03-16 02:53:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3471707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fated_addiction/pseuds/fated_addiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>"How <i>is</i> sister-in-law doing these days anyways?"</i> </p>
<p>Youngji really, really, <i>really</i> hates nicknames she's not totally prepared for. Jackson should know better by now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	oh but we're just friends

**1.**

 

 

The television is too loud. This is the first thing, she remembers later. It's loud, stupidly loud because they are all in the kitchen cooking food for dinner.

"SO."

None of them know this MC. Seungyeon says it's the only program they can try and monitor this late at night anyway. Youngji always insists on having some sort of background noise while she cooks and since it's her night, her turn, Hara is the one that picks the entertainment program, in the end, because none of them _really_ follow baseball and it also happens to be on just before the barrage of informercials that play. They can't listen to Sunny yet either and _none_ of them will ever admit to loving the informercials anyway because it's the only television they sometimes get to watch.

"Time for individual questions," the MC says, and Youngji's pretty sure there is something too syurpy about his voice. She doesn't like his voice. It reminds her of a high school teacher that she didn't like. There is laughter and a voiceover and she _sort of_ freezes when there's a brief, sudden inlay of THE JYP FAMILY, that weird background music that comes with THE JYP FAMILY too, and she totally knows where this is going.

"Eonni --" she starts, picking up another tomato, "-- can I have the salt from the cabinet --" she is not an idiot, she thinks, "Oh! And maybe some seasoning?"

"Jackson! Our program's favorite!"

The television is louder than she suddenly remembers, loud enough for Hara to pause at the fridge, for Gyuri to appear next to her, reach in and take the knife from her hand, and for Youngji's ears to start ringing really, really, REALLY loud.

"How --" the MC even chuckles, "How _is_ sister-in-law doing these days anyways?"

"Eonni," Hara murmurs, and then there's Gyuri laughing worriedly, awkwardly at the same time. "I know," she says.

Youngji pauses. She forgets to respond. She tries and listens. She's distracted. They should have just waited to listen to Sunny later. She can even pick out Mark's laugh. She finds JB's laugh too and even Bambam's awkward, sort of confused _this is really ridiculous laugh_ because she's really good at picking sounds out. She's clumsy too. Her elbow hits the cutting board and the tomatoes, fast enough for Gyuri to sigh and throw her hands up.

"Yah!"

She flushes. "Sorry!" Then she strains to hear, but there is still laughter, from all the boys, and she doesn't know how to pick out Jackson's laugh because usually, _duh_ , it's really, really easy.

"He looks forward to it, you know," teases JB and Youngji is flushing. She can't even look at the tomatoes she's supposed to be cutting. "To seeing her."

"Yeah," Mark says and his voice is quieter, almost shy. "It's kinda funny, really."

Youngji groans and her hands brush over her face. Hara is laughing somewhere behind her.

Then Jackson decides to play.

"She's fine though! Really," he mumbles, and there's a hesitation. "I think?"

Youngji is going to kill him.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

She sees _We Got Married_ a lot. She loves it. You don't have a soul, she thinks, if you don't even go and react to it even in the slightest bit. She sees members of boy groups grin and bate the poor, unfortunate soul (she's _so_ jealous) that gets even more embarrassed for being around another girl group member or actress. It's fascinating, really, since she's been in variety for nearly a year and it's scripted, but not scripted, and even more unintentional that way.

But it doesn't mean she's going to reply to his texts. He should know better. Nicknames have rules, okay?

**YAH YOUNGJI REPY**

**SERIOUSLY**

**REPLY REPLY REPLY**

**WHY ARE YOU MAD????I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY**

**SHOULD I CALL YOUR MOM**

**SHE'LL CALL ME BACK**

**IT WAS A JOKE**

**I WAS TRYING TO BE FUNNY TOO**

**YOU THINK I'M FUNNY**

**REPLLLLYYYYYY YOUNGJIIIIII**

It happens for three days straight, these texts, then variations of these texts because it's Jackson and there is a reason why she saved him in her phone as YAH WANG JACKSON YOU BIG IDIOT because she was mad the first time and it just sort of stuck after.

She goes to the studio though, the one she's sharing with the girls from _Hitmaker_ and she's only one there because Lizzy has her album and movie and Sohyun is nursing her comeback and G.NA.-eonni has a secret boyfriend that she is really too good at hiding. It's a safe space because it's unfamiliar and they'll start filming in a couple of hours. She ignores her phone too, except for her mother because, well, it's her mother and you can't really ignore texts from her mother; then there's her sister and her members who are avoiding, but not really avoiding, the question at hand.

On cue, her phone shudders into the floor somewhere behind her, by her bag and her shoes. It's her GOT7 ringtone. It's new. It's cheesy too. But Jackson liked it. Then it sort of stuck.

She moves to the music station instead, turning on the sound system first. She should dance, she thinks. She needs to do something with her hands, her feet, and not think about what calling her _sister-in-law_ really means.

There was an internet article this morning. IS SISTER-IN-LAW KPOP CODE FOR GIRLFRIEND? Hara sent it. Lizzy sent it too, smiley face emojis and all. She sends back a row of knives emojis. They'll get it.

"You know," happens suddenly and she is aware of the door opening. It closes. Her hands freeze over the computer. "You _know_ ," his voice happens and then he's next to her, pushing her back to pick a song. "When someone calls or texts, the idea is to pick up and _respond_."

She frowns, pushing his hat off of his head. She wants to spite him. Jackson always appears out of nowhere. When they're sharing a stage, an audience, or simply because there's the _Roommate_ house and getting away from him, even though he's HEO YOUNGJI'S BEST FRIEND FIVE-EVER (her name on his phone as saved by her, okay) he is still stupidly annoying from time to time.

"I don't want to."

Jackson scoffs. "You're mad."

She takes a good look at him then. He's in all black and pressed; he either has something to do with _Hitmaker_ or had promotions he didn't tell her about. His gaze stays soft and he's sort of shuffling around, his sneakers toeing against the floor.

"I'm not mad." She bites her lip. "I'm _awkward_ ," she mumbles, pushing at him. "You didn't warn me."

"I didn't mean to!" Jackson picks a song. There's a low, backwards beat and he tucks in the front of his shirt into his shorts. "It wasn't like I decided to say hey! I can't really answer this question but I don't want to because I know what you're asking and I don't really care what you think but I have to think of my _best_ girl so she doesn't, like, kill me."

"Maybe kick you," she mutters.

He shrugs. "I'm here to see the hyungs anyway."

"So you weren't--"

"Yah!" He practically explodes. His hands are up and he moves to step in front of her. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to embarrass you. I'm not good at those questions."

It's stupid, you know, being mad at him. She's not really mad at him and maybe, maybe this is all nervous energy. Everything in this life happens too fast. You meet too many people. Fans love you one hour, hate you in the next because you wore the wrong thing, smiled at the _wrong_ member, and really, really just wanted to have your frozen yoghurt, a hug from your mom, and two hours of sleep in the same day.

Youngji flicks her fingers against his arm.

"I'm not mad," she mumbles. "Ask me next time."

Her fingers tremble. He sighs heavily, breathing in his relief. His mouth twists a little.

"Answer your phone next time," he says.

"Maybe."

" _Youngji_." His eyes narrow and he reaches forward, grabbing her hand. He spins her around and she laughs a little. "You have to answer your phone so that I don't, like, want to lose my mind that you're not answering your phone and drive everyone crazy."

She laughs, pushing back. "You were worried."

"No! Not even."

"Wang Jackson," she says, and she watches him frown, well sort of frown, because the lines of his mouth are loose and there's a crease in his forehead. He doesn't completely look at her and there's a flush gathering at his cheeks. "If you're going to lie," she murmurs. "Lie better."

He swallows, stepping back.

"I'll try," he says. Maybe he's even serious.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

Hara saved the episode and she's too much like a proud mom because Youngji's first moments are kind of a big deal for her. 

Jackson's face is red and he bites his lip, he's always biting his lip when he's nervous, shy, unnerved, confused, weirded out and like I'M GOING TO LIE AND TRY AND MEAN IT but that really doesn't work.

This is video footage.

"So tell sister-in-law I said hello!" The MC declares, the rest of group laughs, and Jackson looks a little scared, a little confused, and what if he's trying to be romantic --

"Okay," he says slowly. He jumps and Mark is smirking next to him because he's gone and kicked her chair. "I'm sure she'd like that."

This isn't the first admission, you know.

 

 

 

 

**2.**

 

 

It's literally the strangest thing, trying to explain to someone why she goes home and works at the coffee shop every couple of weekend when, well, she's basically working twenty-four seven sometimes, all the days of the week. There is something to be said about the small contained space; the shop is neat, pretty with white walls, wooden tables and flowers, corners and lattes and boyfriends saying to their girlfriends, "let's get serious!" 

Youngji likes people. She loves people even more when she gets to watch them, especially when they don't see her. Because as much as she enjoys and surprises herself as KARA's Youngji, she never wants to forget herself as Youngji either.

She goes home on a Sunday night, packs a bag (she won't stay) and smiles at a few customers as she walks behind the counter and kisses her mother's cheek.

"I'll watch the front," she says cheerfully. "So you can have a break for a couple of hours."

Her mother looks pleased.

It quiets in a couple of hours too, so much so that her sister disappears into the back to do some of her homework. She bars and makes a couple of mochas, smoothies for a group of girls that ask for an autograph, and another group of girls that tell her that her mother is the _sweetest_ , something that makes Youngji beam brightly.

Two high school boys wander in too. They don't buy anything until the groups of girls and couples start to filter out into the cafe or go home, shyly rounding the counter. She smiles, curious.

"Anything to drink?" she asks, watching one boy fumble with his wallet. "A caramel macchiato?"

"No, uh, I don't like sweet things," he says, and his friend laughs, hisses, and elbows the poor boy. His face is bright red and sweat seems to be gathering across his forehead too. "Uh, can I, uh --"

"She's busy."

Youngji expects her sister, but there's Jackson behind her, fumbling with an apron and Mark next to him, saying something to her sister. He's serious though, really serious, lines creasing into his forehead and mouth.

"I don't know why he's here," she tells the boy, tries to sound sweet, but ends up glaring hard at Jackson. Mark comes to stand next to him and she manages a quick smile. "Hi oppa," she says to him.

"Ugh." Jackson throws his hands up. "Here we go."

"What?" she makes a face back at Jackson, "I'm sure Mark's here because you said something Wang Jackson-y to get him to come."

Jackson pouts. "I did _not_."

"You did," Mark supplies, amused.

"See!"

" _Dude_ ," Jackson mutters. "So not helping."

"I guess I'll get that caramel macchiato then?"

The boy's shy voice breaks in. He looks disappointed and his friend pats his shoulders.

"Sure!" Youngji rings him up. She reaches for the cup, but Jackson gets to it first. "I'm so sorry for the wait," she bows. "I get distracted when he's around."

Mark is standing next to her at the register.

"It's normal."

Youngji flushes, her hands pressing against her face because she doesn't know what else to do. The boys are looking at her in envy, with disappointment, and one of them even glares _back_ at Jackson, who's having a stare off with the caramel macchiato and the espresso machine. She fans herself quickly.

Then suddenly she is very, very much aware that Jackson is HERE and that two boys just asked her -- or maybe that's even in her head too -- but she feels like they were about to ask her if Jackson was, is, and okay, maybe SORT OF her boyfriend. It's a question she gets a lot and, well, she's not immune to the internet. Part of her job as an idol is to be aware of herself on the internet. Speculation, speculation, speculation, of course, but then when he goes and does things like this without even saying the words --

"I should probably, um, help him." She's flustered again, caught even. "That's an expensive machine..."

Mark flashes a grin. He doesn't even hesitate. "He's been looking forward to it," he says.

Boys will be boys, her mother always says.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

They _are_ helpful. She's not surprise. Mark takes to moving around the coffee shop like Kangjoon did before, moving around and talking to people as if they were all his regulars. He's a little shyer and leaves the front of the coffee shop to her sister and Jackson, while Youngji takes her turn in the back with all the tasks and errands.

It's nice, the quiet, but then everything sort of unravels in her head. How she hasn't slowed down since she's been chasing this dream of hers, the opportunities, the friends she's met and lost, her parents and trying to maintain some kind of sense of _normal_ for her. She wonders if it's really about that then or rather, building and maintaining her own sense of normal for herself.

_You're thinking too much._ It's easy to tell herself that. So she sighs and hits her forehead with her palm, shaking her head and gathering the trash in the kitchen.

"You've been too quiet."

She blinks, turning. "Shouldn't you be helping my sister?" 

"She said to come help you," Jackson replies, grabbing the trashes bags from both her hands. He steps around her and heads towards the alley. "She said the alleyway is really creepy at night."

"There's a light," she says dryly.

"Whatever."

"Are we fighting?"

He blinks, leaning against the door so she can step out first. She follows and her shoe laces are loose; she ignores them and grabs one of the bags from his hand.

"No?" Jackson is confused, taking the bag back from her hand. "Did I miss anything?" He pauses, throwing both bags over the dumpster. "Wait, I was being good tonight! I didn't screw up any of your drinks either."

"My drinks?"

She blinks and he looks down. He steps closer to her, then over her, and she flushes again, thinking about the boys and then Mark who, if anything, just said to her that she should pay more attention. She thinks. She doesn't really speak _boy_ very well.

He sighs and then drops down, on one knee, reaching for her foot. His fingers curl around her shoe laces, pulling at them tightly.

"You should be careful."

Her sneakers are old, dusty. The scuff marks and holes in her jeans aren't store bought, but they're comfortable. She always leaves clothes behind at home and her mother seemed to carry them over to the shop just in case. Food falls, coffee falls, girlfriends throw smoothies at boyfriends for being late or seeing other girls or whatever it is for the day. Jackson is still careful. His fingers brush her ankle and then he pushes her foot back. He grabs her other foot gently, pulling her shoe laces loose and retying them tightly.

"I am careful," she mumbles.

He shakes his head. "You haven't tied the lace all day. I was going to let you be -- but what if you fall? You move too fast sometimes. You're such a --" he thinks for a moment, chuckling. "You're a klutz, Youngji-ah. It's not like it's a big secret."

"I am _not_ ," she scowls. "It was just that one time!" He stands up and she pushes at his chest. "And you were dragging me along instead of waiting for me."

"We were going to be late with the ice cream," he mumbles. "You know how Dongwook-hyung gets."

She pauses. "True."

"See!" He catches her hand when she tries to hit him again. His fingers lace through hers. She blushes. "I told you I was right. You need to listen to me more."

"I do listen to you, Wang Jackson!"

He swings their hands around. "You do not," he says. "Not enough," he says too and then raises their hands, spinning her around into a laugh.

She cannot count the number of times that they've been alone because then it would mean that she would have to go and _count_ the number of times that they've been alone. Her stomach flutters, her throat tightens, and she should probably hit him and change the subject.

But then he starts it again, for the second time that night, when he shouldn't even really be starting anything.

"You look really pretty today."

Her eyes widen. "Yah. What did you do?"

"I mean it," he laughs nervously. His mouth twitches. His eyes are big and wide. "You do."

She looks down. "My sneakers have seen better days."

"I like them."

"My hair should be washed." She wrinkles her nose. "I had dance practice late tonight before I came here."

"You look _pretty_ ," he insists. He stomps his foot. "Smelly, dirty sneakers, greasy hair, no makeup, like _this_ \-- Heo Youngji is really, really, stupidly pretty and I am trying to give you a _compliment_."

She pauses. She's going to do something really, really stupid, she thinks. She doesn't know why she does it. But she releases his hand and pushes herself onto her toes, her hands dropping over his shoulders. She hears herself say it, "yah --" and then leans in, her mouth opening over his; she tastes her name, like, really tastes her name because his mouth opens back and it's moving too, soft and hot and he just tastes really _sweet_. It's unexpected and her heart is racing and she can count the beats, unsteadily, her fingers tapping and uncurling against his shoulders.

This is what a confession is. She pulls back, smiling.

"See you inside," she says.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

He calls her from Japan. 

She can't hear him. There's laughter and music on both ends -- Hara and Seungyeon are practicing parts from their upcoming comeback; she thinks she and Jackson will be in Japan, again, at the same time.

"Can you hear me?" he says, again and then again, and she remembers the alleyway and how sticky her fingers suddenly were. Did she have chocolate? 

Gyuri enters the practice room and tosses her a small package. Her name is written everywhere and it lands on her lap, just as she sits onto the floor.

"Hello!"

Jackson coughs. "Just open it! Gotta go --"

She hears him hang up, then scowls, staring at the box in her lap as she picks off the tape. She pulls back the tissue paper. A note falls out. The paper is blue, pretty, and it slides across the floor as Youngji loses it.

"I. AM. GOING TO KILL HIM. AND THEN THE REST OF THEM TOO."

Hara stops. Seungyeon laughs and Gyuri picks up the note.

"Have a good show! From your brother-in-laws."

 

 

 

 

**3.**

 

 

 

Youngji makes a list. 

Not a big list -- she's stuck in the airport, her flight delayed for another two hours because the snow is bad in Seoul and apparently the runways are even worse so she can't really go back to her hotel room until things are really, truly sorted out. But her list is composed on the back of a restaurant napkin, stolen because it seemed like the only place she could sit, stare out the window, and eat cheap noodles without having them feel like _expensive_ cheap noodles because airport food is a scam.

"Number one," she reads, "do I _really_ like Wang Jackson?"

Yes, of course. It's one of those lists.

"Number one," she reads again. Then she crosses off the words _do_ to _like_. "Does Wang Jackson like me because he -- _ah_!"

She rubs her face and shakes her hair loose. She wishes the other girls were here with her, but they all have different commitments and will fly back to Japan later in the week. It still feels new and old to her, lonely even when there's not there's not a constant tie of familiar faces near her.

Her phone lights up next to her instead.

**I'M BORED**

"Good for you," she mutters. She writes a number two. She makes a face. "Number two -- there's no dating ban, not really for me, since I have a lot of friends that are boys --" her fingers flex out and she thinks maybe she should eat, "but then again, it's not like I'm interested in anyone."

Her phone shudders this time. 

There is a business man that sits at the table in front of her. He smiles. She makes a face and looks at the window instead. She squints against the gray skies and the bar smells sticky, her hands dropping to her lap and rubbing against her knees. Maybe she go to her gate and see if there is anything new. They did say they would text information too. She's not far, she was hungry.

"I should get food," she says then, reaching for her bag.

"Answer your phone first."

She jumps, eyes wide. She blinks once. She blinks twice more. Then he's there, of course, and behind him, somewhere off to the left and trying to pretend to be reading magazines, are the rest of his members.

"What. Even," she breathes, and then reaches forward, smacking his arm hard. "You didn't say anything!"

"I was about to tell you!" He pulls back, frowning. "You went to the mountains and I was already here for a couple of days because of a show and a couple of shoots --" she hits him again and his members are now watching off to the side. "Yah! I didn't do anything. You should know too!"

"I don't know your schedule," she argues.

"I don't even know _yours_ ," he shoots back and means it too, only contradicting himself when he grabs her bag from her and carries it with him. "Gyuri-noona and your mother both called me. I think she got my number from your mom."

She blinks. "My mom has your number." Her reaction is delayed. "Eonni called you too?"

"Of course!"

"What does that even mean?" she asks, frustrated and the group of boys have moved somewhere in front of them. She swears she sees Bambam turn and give Jackson thumbs up with both hands. When he meets her gaze, he blushes deeply, scurrying in front of the other members.

"It means," Jackson grabs her wrist and pulls her into one of the small stores. He shoves a magazine in her hands without looking. "It _means_ that your mother gave me her phone number because we spend a lot of time together."

"We spend a lot of time together?"

She takes the magazine to the register and Jackson dumps a bunch of candy over it, thrusting his credit card forward.

"Well," she says dryly. "We've moved onto candy."

"You like sweet things," he throws back.

"I like romantic things too."

They both pause. She's glaring without even realizing. Her hands reach back and pull her hair up, out of her face, and it's a messy ponytail because she really doesn't have to worry about it. She mutters something under her breath -- of course he appears out of nowhere, of course everyone _else_ knows that he was looking for her, and of course, _of course_ she feels like the biggest idiot.

The napkin stretches across the candy. Youngji's eyes are huge when she finally sees it. At quick glance, it's pretty obvious what someone can go and read.

_like WANG JACKSON_

"I like you like this," Jackson says simply.

When the receipt prints out, the guy at the register studies them, amused. He hands the paper to Jackson and Youngji smiles awkwardly.

"Good luck with your flight, sister-in-law," he says.

Jackson keeps the napkin in his pocket.

Youngji pretends she doesn't know.

 

 

 

 

**4.**

 

 

The thing is (and for real this time), the real problem is that they are always confessing to each other. It's a revelation that hits her constantly, between all the times that he grabs her hand, holds it, and maybe, maybe, just goes and seriously calls her really pretty. She can't list them.

They have breakfast duty when they are all at the house again. Jackson promised he'd wake up first. Dongwook came back the latest, last night, and said something about French toast, which, if anything surprises, amuses, and annoys her at the same time. (He patted her head, told her she was the prettiest, and said that she should be the best and make Jackson a little more honest -- which, like, what is she even supposed to do with that?

Kangjoon is up first though and says goodbye to her, rubbing her hair as he disappears out the door for filming with an orange and a piece of toast. She waits a minute. She checks her phone. She did say five and he did say he would get up with Kangjoon too, but Jackson always sleeps heavier than she does -- she ignores him when he says otherwise.

"French toast," she mutters.

She moves to his room. She spots the camera at the opposite end of the living room. She frowns. She pouts. She even raises her arms into a heart shape. She's going to need a little bit of luck.

In his room, she raises a fist at the next camera.

"Fighting," she whispers.

She steps on Kangjoon's bed, grabbing the first pillow she can reach and swinging it down. It hits Jackson in the face and he shoots up, sleepily, blocking her with both of his arms covering his face.

" _YAH_ ," he cries out.

"You're supposed to be up," she hisses.

"It's not even --" he grabs the pillow from her, throwing it across the room, "-- it's five thirty in the morning."

"And we have to make breakfast."

She crosses her arms over her chest.

"Get _up_."

Jackson drops back into bed. He yanks the covers over his head and groans.

"No."

She stomps her foot. "We have breakfast duty, you fool," she says. "Get up and you can go to bed later. Don't make me kick you or anything."

"You wouldn't kick me," he says, pushing the covers back. He makes a face at her and she feels her resolve changing. Her mouth twitches. "Because kicking would be mean and you, _you_ are not mean."

" _Jackson_ ," she whines, ignoring him. She grabs his hand, tugging him forward. He's too heavy for her to lift on her own, but she manages to drag him to Kangjoon's bed and then halfway to the floor.

He's laughing and she's starting to laugh and it's stupid, they're being kids. The thing is his hand is warm and covering hers and she forgets everything, just like this, when his hand is around hers and it feels like it means something.

It's weird. She's being weird. She will never just come out and say _I just like you too_.

"Get out of bed," she says.

She lets go of his hand and steps back, stealing one of his sweatshirts by the door.

"Breakfast. You have ten minutes," she says too.

Her heart is racing.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

French toast is sticky. It smells too sweet. They make a mess over the counter space, but Youngji saves the stove and the sink because her mother would just not have it. She raised daughters and impeccable kitchens, after all.

But Jackson manages to plate the french toast, while Youngji works on slicing fruit. She's humming under her breath and she manages to keep focus because she can hear Seho moving around upstairs. It just means that breakfast with Jackson is meant to be weird and short.

"Grapes?" she asks, throwing one at him.

He grins, both hands full with plates. He catches the grape in his mouth.

"Thanks."

It's strangely domestic and it's _different_. She tries not to compare her other times, her other chores and routines with this small, silly moment. Jackson nearly knocks her into the kitchen island, startling her. The knife flies forward, dropping and she cries out, clutching one of her fingers.

"What what what _what_?"

There is fruit everywhere. It's on the counter, on the floor, grapes and oranges, everything else that she could find but she's trying to stop the bleeding. He comes up behind her, his arms around her, his knees knocking her forward and closer to the sink. They're clumsy and he catches her, his arm secure around her waist.

"Idiot," he says. Then his fingers are pressing down on her cut. She hiss. " _Idiot_ ," he says. He curses under his breath and she would usually laugh, but it hurts right now.

"How can you be so _clumsy_?" he says too.

She only laughs nervously and bites her lip.

Her reaction to the hot water is delayed. Her skin flushes. She's a little confused and concerned and that's a lot of blood, she thinks, watching it fall into the sink and swirl around the drain.

"You scared me," she mumbles.

He breathes. She feels it against her cheek.

"You should be careful," his voice is low, and it's like suddenly, he's standing taller against her. His hand drops to her hip and they are forgetting the cameras.

Her head is spinning.

"I'll be careful," she says.

"Good." He lets her pull her hands forward. She turns off the water and then he turns her, flicking her forehead.

Her face scrunches up and he sighs, his mouth twitching.

"Yah."

"We'll have to figure this out," she mutters, and then sighs too, looking around. Grapes really don't go with french toast. She looks over and there's still plenty of strawberries left over and she'll have to cut them too.

"It's fine," he says and she stomps her foot, forgetting herself for a moment, "listen to me for a sec!"

"I am," Jackson tells her, amused.

He grabs her hand too. He pulls her to the side and it looks like he's going to check her hand again. He brings it up close, squints, and her face is burning red all over again. She feels her mouth move, but nothing comes out.

His lips press against the bandage.

His mouth is soft and hot. He breathes and it shudders over her skin, just as he leans in and kisses the top of her finger one more time.

"Take better care of yourself." He pauses, serious. "I'm not always around, you know?"

And maybe, just maybe, her heart starts to beat a little faster.

She doesn't remember what she says.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

Everything is sort of edible.

When Dongwook decides to call her, _little_ sister-in-law -- between the breakfast spread, Jackson retelling his heroic rescue of her finger and the knife and oh, really, THANK GOD they have those Power Ranger bandaids from Kangjoon-hyung in the kitchen from last season, of course -- it's _only_ natural that she convinces Jongok to take him along for supermarket duty, all with a smile on her face.

"Yah," he says. Then he stops himself when Jackson looks at him, watching her. His mouth curls and he holds his hands up. "Fine, fine -- I knew it would grow on you anyway."

He winks and she squeals, picking up her slipper and throwing it at his head.

The truth is she doesn't mind the nickname too much, you know.


End file.
